Engine-starter.



F. C. PRIESTLY.

ENGINE STARTER.

APPLIUATION FILED DEO. 2, 1909. Y.

VIatentel N0v. 29, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

VA i lllllll `amumllnmnllm' P. lo. PRlEsTLY. ENGINE STARTER.

APPIIIGATION FILED Dnc. 2, 1909.

' Patented Nov. 29, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

QUE

' im arted a turning movement'of less Y"than EEANK.C. 'PE1ESTLY, or Los ANGELES, cALiFoENIA. v

ENGINErSTARTEB Specication of ietters Patent,

Patented Nov. 29,1910.

Application led December 2, 1909. Serial No.531,097.

To all 'whom it may concern."

Be it known that I', FRANKCfPRIESTLY, a citizen of 'thevUnited States, residing at Los Angeles, inthe county `of Los"Angeles land State of California, have invented f a the 'following isa specification.

This invention relates to an engine starter which isl operated by compressed air and which is particularly adapted fr starting automobile engines. The main objects of the invention-'are to provide' a device of this character which is of simple construction, effective inoperation' and durable in use. v 'In carrying out the invention `I employ a pneumatically'- 'operated piston which'v acts to imparta turning movement t al ratchet member which co-acts with another `:ratchet memberon the shaft to be turned, which shaft may be either the engine shaft or` an-l other shaft geared therewith, and a further objectis to provide novel means for disconnecting the two ratchet members'when the piston has operated its length of stroke'and new and useful Engine-Starter,"of` 4whichha f a circle to the 'irst ratchet AQmember,

whereby the piston may, vthen' take a Ireverse movementand enable'a rengageinent'f the ratchet 'before commencing another stroke..l

So far as I am aware, itis novel to employ a reciprocating piston which pefra'tesa ratchet .member by one'or more impulses to impart rotation to the elementtolhe v'driven -.A further object is to producen. ab

and to produce' absolute vtii'sengajgement 'oithe ratchet 'from the element to be .driven at the termination of each im ulse, sothat- Indiately after the iinpu'se 'which isi-im! partedto it the driven. elemenis` allowed .perfect freedom' to lbe. operated nder the engineI Y solute l .disengagement of the starting ratchet upon thetermination of the recovery Vstroke ofthe ratchet, so that .in the eventv of a premature muncaueg yto'the.startingratchet 'doesnot y h ashaft 11 `o`n which a ,driven ratchet meinj'ber` 12 is i fbetween ratchet member 12 and shaft 11 be'. vingpermitted. Fixed on the ratchet menu.

explosion in the cylinderactingto 'drive .the

.piston of the' 'engine down'beforef'the crank had" passed adeadcenter, the su'dden.reversel do any damageonfaccon'nt' ofthe release of the startingrachea st thel termination of its rear' movement' or recovery stroke, ThusLa premature explosion' would Hresult;l 1n

crank I1s required to startthe kengines of v.four cylinders and in the present invention `by causing the piston to, operate through theratcliet in; the mannerj stated, it is pos- -sible to start tl1e`engine with `the leastv eX- tion o moving back the starting' 4ratchet-. throng itsrecoverystroke.

In' `starting'jinternal combustionengines generally only a quarter or less turn of the penditurev of lair'u'sed foroper'ating the pis,` ton. As compared' with imparting a con-- tinuous rotating motion to the element to be j dr1ven-by means of the pneumatically .operated p1 ston', such as has heretoforebeen attempted, the present invention results in a 'considerable economyin amount of lairemployed, in addition to the advantages of re.

'lieving the startingV 'devicefro-mshock of premature explosions, as above explained.

Another object is to so construct the device -that .it maybe applied to engines a1-v ready in use withoutl any appreciable reconstruction', the device being designed to be bolted to the vengine casing and to apply the turning power through the medium of a.. gear 'to the regular cam shaft of the engine and through'the latter drive the crank shaft.

Otherobjects and advantages of the ini' vetion will be loroughtout in the acco1n' vPfmyiI-lgg' description.v

Referring to the drawings: Figure'l is a side elevation of the invention showing the cylinder in cross section and part of the gear housin section. Fig. 2 is a front eleval? the invention with the cylinder in section andthe valve in section. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the valve.

. 1 designates the crank shaft of the engine 'which carries the gear 2 meshing with a gear 3 onthe cam shaftll, the gear 3 being twice the'size ofthe gear 2 in accordance with the 5 designates part of the engine casing to which is belted a bracket 6 which forpisa part of the attachment comprised the .presentinvention A frame 7 1s carried byv 8. A gear housing 9 is also bolted to the .10.- Moun'ted in the journals S and 10 is oosely mounted, relative rotation gu'sual practice, ,.whereby 'the cam shaft 4 is i .driven one-half as fast as the crank shaft l.

' the bracket 6" and is provided with a journal vber 12 means of a 'key 13 isa gear 14 which meshes with the camshaft gear 3.

" Slidable yon the shaft 11 and bemg caused 'tof rotateQtherewith by a feather 15is a driving) ratchetmember 16 whichl is formed with a eveled liange 17 having a cam 18. A

coil spring 19 acts toforce the ratchet member 16 into enga ement withratchet member 12, but therato et member 16 is positively prevented from engaging with the ratchet member 12 when in either one of two angular positions, each angular y'position bemg 'that occupied by the cam 18 when at either end of its stroke, the shaft 11 `being a rocked shaftand the ange 17 and cam 18 therefore partaking of a turning movement through only a part of acircle. At either Lend of the stroke the cam 18 comes in contact with a 'conica roller y2O or 21, the former .being at the return stroke, it results inshifting .the'

the endof` the returnstroke of the cam and the roller 21 being at the end of the forward stroke of the cam. Thus, as the cam 18 .rides over the roller 20 during the'latter part of ratchet member 16 tothe left, thereby disengaging it from the ratchet member 12 and l during the latter part of the forward movev'ment' of the ratchet member 16, the cam 18 rides over the roler21 and acts to shift the ratchet member 6 to the left out of engagement with the ratchet member 12. .During the intervening portion of itsstroke, as the cam moves away from either roller 20 or 21,

the `spring 19 presses the ratchet member 16 into engagementv with ratchet member 12. Thus, .uring the forward stroke of the ratchet member 16 it imparts a 4like turning ymovement to the ratchet member 12 and gear 14, while during the .return stroke of the ratchet member 16 its teeth click idly over the teeth of the ratchet member 12, the latter '-.not being turned during this retraction stroke.

.451- A'crank 22 is 'fixed on the end of shaft 11 and hasa crank pin 23, on which is a roller 24 whlch engages in,a slotted yoke 25 ar- I .ranged at an intermediate .point in a piston rod 26, the lower part of the piston rod 26 the lower part o r` 4sliding in a bracket 27 and the upper enel compressed airthrough either of thel ipes k30 or'31' to propel 'the piston 28'. The t ow of the vcrank 22` is greater than thestroke of lthat the. crank arm 22 canlnoas'tan lthewpiston '28, so that when 'the piston 28 is ateither endl of its stroke'it positivelylarrests the yoke 2 5 andthuspreventsithe crank 22 from turning. througha: 'complete half cir- `c1e)which.is further preventedbylthe yoke v25 eingjofset, as-clearlyshbwniin 2,'so

dead center at either end of its stroke, but

stands at a considerable distance from a dead center, so that the pressure from the yoke 25 against the 'roller 24 will readily start movement of the crank and its shaft 11.

The valve 32 comprises a casing 33 having an inlet 34 and a port 35 communicating with pipe 31 and a ort 36 communicating with the pi e 30. T e casing 33 also has a pipe 37 lea lng to a. pressure ge 38 which is 1n constant communication t rough a assage 39, indicated by dotted lines in ig. 2, with the inlet 34, so that the pressure from the inlet 34 is always indicated b 'the gage 38. Within the caslng 33 is a va ve 40 having'a diametrical passage 41, a lateral pasl lsage 42 and a branched passage 43. n

When the valve is in the position shown I in Fig. 2, air from the inlet pipe 34 passes throu h the passage 41 through the (pipe 30 into t e upper end of cylinder 29 an moves down the piston 28, thereby im arting for- 'w'ard turnmg. movement to the s aft '11 and ratchetI mechanism, as 4before described; air below the piston 28 passing out through pipe 31 through port'35 into branched passage 43 and thence to atmosphere through exhaust port 44. By turning the valve into its other position, as the .passage 42 .movesacross the inlet pipe 34, a suicientv'amount o f air enters to pass from the passage 42 into the vpassage 41, thence through the port 3 5 into pipe 31 below the piston and .raises the piston to the top of the cylinder, air from labove the piston passing out through. pipe .30 into branched passage 43 and exhausting through port 45. Continued movement of the valve carries the passage 42 completel across the mouth of the inlet pipe 34 an at the completion of the movement the passage 42 lies against a blank part of the valve casing 33. and a blank part of the valve plug 40 lies across the mouth ofthe inlet y ipe 34, thereby effectually preventing any eakageof air from the inlet pipe 34 and keeping the mechanism free from the entry of any compressed air until it is again de-V 'sired to operate it.

It should be .understood that the valve 32 will -be located on the dashboard or some other convenient point of the automobile,

so that it may readily be operated 'by the chauffeur. The pressure gage 38 shouldalso be located at a convenient point for easy inspection;

What I` claim is:

ratchet on ythe shaft, a cylinder, 'a piston therein, a piston rod on .the piston,a crank on said shaft, a connection between said 1. An enginestarter comprising a shaft,v a driven ratchet on' the shaft, a driving'I crank and 'piston rod, nieansffor moving said ratchet members out of contact' .with

leach otherwhen the driving ratchet istinti` fa certain angular positiomjand valve means `and piston rod,; means said4 ratchetx members certain angular `ak gear on the-driven ratchet adapted tojmesli v, 2,0

y 'the piston fro Y av gear fixed on the. driven-ratchet within for admitting' sa ff compressed tliridgto' or e-i'' -iustxthe sameifomeither side ofl-saidpisf n.1*

l a ,driven Sratchet on the shaft, 'a1 driving y( 'ratcheton the1shaft,fa cylinder, afpisto'n thereima. piston rod -on`` the piston, aQcrankon -saidrshafn a connection between said crank` -for` disconnecting when thefxdrivingratchet- .is in afce'rta'in angular 'position in `its forward stroke "and-'for disconnecting saidl ratchets when the f driving ratchet isv in ,a

position in its4 retraction.l

- stroke, ,andv valve' means for y'admittiifig a compressed' luidfto, or exhaust thesamef from eithersideof said piston.

' l8. A shafta' drivelrratchet loose thereon,

with a gea'ronthe cam 'shaft or crank shaft ofthe motor, a,drivingfatchetsplined on the lfirst.. named shaft, afspring4 normallyl holding said"ratchets in engagement, a cam 'engagement withthe driven ratchet, a 'crank 'on the first :named shaft, a cylinder, a' pistonthereiin a pistolrrodon the piston, afyo e on A rod, a pin on the crank projectinginto Said yoke, and valve means 'for ad-A niitting a compresseduid to orexhaust the lsaine `from' either side` of said piston* 4,-. 'A frame, `a shaft vjournaled at oneend therein,l a journal for the other end of said shaft, agear housing formed with the latter journal, av driven ratchet loose onisaid shaft,

said gearhousing, a driving ratchet splined on said shaft, a spring forv normally hold ing the driving ratchet in engagement with vthe driven .-ratchet, a cam on the driving ratchet, rollers at each end of `they stroke of -saidAA cam for causing said Cain to move said driving ratchet out of engagement with the driven rat chet,"a cylinder, a piston therein, a yoke connected with the piston, a crank on .saidsha't connected withsaid yoke, and valve means for admitting a compressed of said piston.

'5.,A frame, a shaft journaled therein, a`

A t, c c I t ,l Splilied .on said;-

2. Anfengmefstarter comprising ashaft, 5

onl the crank, a roller on the crank pin, a

piston. i )61. Airame,

driven ratchet loose oh said shaft, a gear fixed. on the drivenY ratchet, a driving ratchet driving ratchet and theI frame,l a `beveled langeo the drivin ratchet, a cam on said flange, apair-Ao bev. led rollers mounted on shaft, aspring between the` sald'frame, acam on'said .tlangeadapted to i ride uponf the drivenratchet, a crank o'n lsaid shaft, 'a

cylinder on the frame, a' piston in the cylinder., a' iston rod exten'dln'gffrom the piston, a brac et on the frame through which the '.lowvfer 'fend-of said pistn rod slides, acvyoke -forrned in said piston rod, the' roller on the crank pinloperating in said yoke, andvalve means-for admitting a, compressed fluid td or exhaustrthe same from either side of said a, shaftl journalcd therein, a

driven ratchet loose. onlsaid shaft a ear eithe'rof Vsaid rollers and move the Vdrlvigng' ratchet out of engagement vvlthl -xei'l on the'dr-ivenratchet, a driving ratchet splined o n .said shaft, aspring between the driving ratchet and 'the frame, a flange onthe drivin ratchet',a 1 cam on said ange,

.a pair of Yrol ers mounted on said .frame,.a Icam -on saidA flange adapted to ride upon Aeither, of said rollers and move the driving .ratchet out of engagement with the driven ratchet, a crank on said shaft, a pin on the crank, aroller on the crank pin, a cyllnder "on thedfraine, a ypiston in the cylinder, a piston rod extending from the piston, a bracket on the frame throughwhich the lower end of said piston rod slides,a yoke formed in said piston rod, theroller on theY crank pin operating in said yoke', valve means for admitting a vcompressed fluid to or exhaust the same. from either side yof said piston, said piston having a length of stroke less than the'natural throw of said crank, whereby saidcrank is restricted to a throv of less than half a circle` said yoke being offset,

In testimoni7 whereof. I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 23d day of November, 1909.

FRANK C. PRIESTLY.

G. T. HACKLEY, FRANK L. A. Guarini, 

